Electrode.



F. A. RUDOLF.

ELECTRODE. APPLTcAnoN rm AUG. 15. I9I6.

1,267,120. Patented May 21,1918.

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FERDINAND A. RUDOLF, OF NEW YOBK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB '10 NICHOLS COPPER GOM- rm, 0] NEW YOILJI. Y., A. COBPOBAISOI 0] NEW YORK.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1918.

Continuation in part of application Serial No. 65,008, filed December 4, 1915. This application tiled August 15, 1916. Serial No. 114,945.

,To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FERDINAND A. Honors", a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Queens, borough of Queens, city of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrodes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electrodes for use in the, electrolytic refining of metals, such as the electrolytic refining of copper and has -particular application to such refining by the well-known series system in which he electric current passes through a suite 1e electrolyte from the anode side of each of a row of plate electrodes to the cathode side of the next plate in the row. Asv a result metal, say copper, is removed from the anode side of each plate and is deposited on the cathode side of the next plate. In practical electrolytic refining the electrodes are impure at the beginning of the process, copper electrodes, for example, containing usually silver and gold together with impurities which are relativel valueless. The current strength employed is adapted to deposit pure copper while leaving behind the gold and silver and other impurities. These impurities, detached from the anodes, descend by avity through the electrolyte toward the ii ottom of the tank and are collected therefrom in the form of a slime and treated to recover their values. This separation of pure copper from the impurities of the elec-v trodes is, however, imperfect in practice because a certain pro when of the 1m unties come into contact y diffusion or ot erwise with the cathode sides of the plates in the neighborhood of the plates from which they were released and are deposited thereon, with the result that the cop or deposit is not pure and the recovery 0 precious metal values from the slime is ineflicient. The occlusion of these slimes by the cathodes, moreover, results in rougher deposits than are desired.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide suspended electrodes of such construction that such loss of precious metal values in the refining process is practically eliminated and the deposit of t e desired metal is substantially 'pure. Another object form of supporting known materials.

is to provide electrodes su ended in such a manner as to be inclined slightly, the upper sides thereof formin the anodes and the lower sides thereof %o Other objects of my invention will be pointed out or will otherwise appear in the followin description of myi'invcntion in the embo iment thereof shown. is the accompanying drawings. 3

T is application is, in greater art, a division of an application entitled lectrodes filed by me December 4, 1915, Serial No. 65 008.

in the drawings, Fi ure 1 is a longitudinal, vertical section 0 an electrolytic tank containing a row of electrodes formed and S11 orted in accordance with my invention;-

ig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the tank and electrodes of Fig. 1;

Fig. 2 is a plan, similar to Fig. 2 but enlarged, showing the arrangement of tank and e ectrodes of but with a modified e e; Fig. 3 is a detailed side elevation of a modified form of my invention;

Fig. 4 is a detail front elevation of said modified form; and

Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are cross sectional views of further modified electrodes.

The electrolytic tank 9 shown in Fig. 1 may be-of the usual form and proportions and may be composed of any suitable and The upper portion of each of the side walls is provided throu hout its length with an internal support or edge 10 upon which the electrodes 11 are adapted to be supported. The side walls extend upward above said ledge so that the level of electrolyte may be maintained above said ledge. The electrodes 11 each comprises a flat plate provided with supporting lugs 12 at the up or sides of the plate, said lugs extending aterally beyond the edges of the plate and being bent to one side of and at an angle to the plate the under edges of the lugs being supported upon the tank ledges 10. A part 0 the under portion of each of these lugs 12 is cut away to form an extension 13 separated from the ledge 10 whereby the extensions form handles which may be utilized for introducing the electrodes into the tank and removing them therefrom.

rming the cathodes.

thereof, thus causing this tent that the weight The level of the electrolyte in the tank is preferabl maintained S'tlbstantlally along the line .B. r

The electrodes are placed, as shown, parallel to each other sgpported upon the ledge 10and evenly spac ing In the b0 y to form the points of trode, it will be seen bring the point of support outside of the longitudinal plane of t e electrode, which plane passes through the center of gravity the electrode to assume a position inclined with respect to the vertical. When so positioned, the anode side is uppermost and the cathode side is below. The impurities including'the precious metals are released at the anode side and become detached in the form of slime and slide down upon this side of the plate to the bottom edge thereof from which they drop to the bottom of the tank. The impurities are thus guided in their downward course so that substantially no part of them will diffuse in suspended form through the electrolyte between the plates and come intdcontact with or become occluded by the cathode side of the next plate, the usual verticall Y supported'plates are employed. The inc ination of makes it difiicult for any slime which may be in suspension to come into contact therewith; the inclination of anode prevents free diffusion of the impurities and guides them in substantiall unsuspended form to the bottom edge 0 the plate.

The action of electrolysis removes metal from one side of each electrode and deposits pure metal upon the other side thereof, the original electrode thus becomes thinner and thinner as,the rocess goes on. Because of the fact that t c electrode is wholly submerged in the electrolyte this process goes on with respect to the whole of t e plate. The structure, therefore, does not become weakened as would be the case were the level of the electrolyte maintained below the top of the plate, say, below thesupporting ears thereof. In such case it is obvious that the plate becomes eatly weakened at or near the electrolyte evel, so that before the time required for a practically operative process has elapsed, the weakening of the late at point will have developed to sue an exof the plate below this point will cause a bending or buckling and the plate will assume a verticalposition. It will be seen that such a circumstance will result in the formation of short circuits or uneven deposition or will otherwise render the process practically inoperative. This defect of inclined suspended plates has been elfectively overcome b tota y submerging the electrodes in the electrolyte. I do not,

. with whic as often happens when the cathode however, claim this total submergence of the electrodes as part of my invention and it is, in fact, the invention of another.

A modified form of my invention is illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6. The plate shown in these figures is in the form of an arch. It may be smoothly curved in arch form as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, in which case the curve may be an arc of a circle, ellipse or any other suitable curve; or it may be angularly bentin arch form as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, in which case the fiat portions unite Qgvith each other to structure. The plate may, of course, be formed by a combination of curved an flat portions, whereby an arched structure is produced.

The plate 14, Figs. 3 and 4, is provided with suitable lugs 15 at the top sides thereof, said lu having a lower supporting edge the rings 16 are adapted to engage. These rings are themselves supported by cross bars 17 which extend across and are supported by the tops of the side walls of the tank; the latter may or may not be provided with the ledge shown in Fig. 1. The

.plates 18 and 19 shown in Figs. 5 and .6 res ectively may be supported similarly to the gates 14 or similarly to the plates 11, as

esired.

When the lates are supported by rings as shown in i gs. 3 and electrolyte may be substantially along the line G *-"D. After the late has been sube'cted for some time toe ectrolytic action, it will become relativel thin in the neighborhood of the line, de 'ing the level of the electrolyte. Owing to the fact that the late is arched, however this thinning of the metal does not wea n the plate so that it Wlll'bBIlCl toward the vertical osition.

In the case of the arched p ates as well as in the case of the flat plates having support ng lugs as described, the point of suspension 1s outside of that ion 'tudinal plane of the plate, which is parall to the tan ent1al plane at the center line of the ate, which longitudinal plane passes througli the center of gravity thereof. Thus when lates of either design are suspended, the odies of the lates will automaticall incline at an ang e to the vertical and t e beneficial results of such inclination will be attained.

If desired, the plates may be supported by inserting the ugs or ears in suitably shaped shoes of any non-corrosive and dielectric material.

When the ledges 10 are employed to support the electro es, it ma happen that, in the course of time, a su cient amount of slimes may lodge upon the top of the ledges to short circuit the plates. This may be avoided, in large measure at any rate, by formin recesses or depressions 1n the top edge of each ledge between the electrodes,

4, the level of the I I 30 said electrode with its as shown at 20, Fig. 2. These depressions or recesses may, if desired, be slots passing completel through the ledge from top to bottom, t us virtually substituting a series 5 of independent blocksfor a straight ledge,

or, slips or wed es may be arranged to project upwardl rom the ledges between the electrodes, tli us splitting the slimes and breaking their continuity between electrode and electrode. Such slips or wedges Iregard as equivalents of the referred to depressions, recesses or slots.

Having described m invention, I claim: 1. In combination, a ongitudinally arched ging therewith in proximityto the latera to edges thereof.

electrode and means en a from which the electrode reely hangs for suspending said electrode with its longitu' dinal axis at an angle to the vertical.

2. An electrode comprisin an- .arched plate provided with a supporting hook in a a plane other thanthe lon 'tudinal plane of the plate which is paralle to the tangential 'plane at the center line of the late, which 2 longitudinal lane fpasses throng the center of gravity t ereo V 3. In combination, alongitudinall arched electrode and means engaging t erewith' above its center of gravity for suspending longitudinal axis at led an an le to the vertical, there being no support or the electrode below its center of gravity.

4. In combination, an electrolytic tank adapted to hold electrolyte, a lurality of longitudinally arched electro es contained therein and supgorting means,,engaging each electrode a ove its center of gravity and from which the electrode is freely suspended clear of the tank with its 40 longitudinal axis inclined to the vertical.

5. In combination, an electrolytic tank adapted to hold electrolyte and having on op osite walls to support electr' es, and e ectrodes having laterally extending lugs adapted to rest upon said ledges, there being depressions in the top edges of the ledges between neighboring elecmy hand. a

FERDlNAND A. RUDOLF. 

